Sawing apparatus

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to sawing apparatus comprising a supporting base from which extend four uprights whose axes are at the vertices of a rectangle, a platform mounted for movement longitudinally of itself across said supporting base and between opposed pairs of said uprights, the platform being preferably mounted on rollers engageable with parallel rails supported on the supporting base, a cradle mounted for vertical sliding movement along said uprights and supporting in an underslung position, preferably to be orientable in a horizontal plane, a chain saw for sawing timber carried by said platform, and a head frame above said cradle, said frame including tubular members dimensioned and positioned to fit slidably about said uprights and being preferably braced where fitted about said uprights, first locking means to lock said head frame relative to said uprights, said head frame mounting means for adjusting the level above said platform of said cradle and hence of said chain saw, and second locking means for locking said cradle at its adjusted level relative to said uprights. Both the platform and the rails may be in interconnected lengths to enable both to be reduced in length appropriate to transport purposes.

United States Patent MacFadyen SAWING APPARATUS [76] Inventor: Duncan Gardner MacFadyen,

Milton of Buchanan. Drymen by Glasgow, Scotland [22] Filed: Feb. 26, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 445,873

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Mar. 6, 1973 United Kingdom 10920/73 I52] U.S. Cl. .4 83/4; 83/790; 83/4351; 83/813; 83/707; 83/425 [51] Int. Cl... 827!) 17/02; B27b /02; 823d 57/02 [58] Field of Search 83/813, 809, 788, 433, 83/435], 820, 707, 4, 425, 790, 794, 797, 798

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 473,468 4/1892 Landis 83/813 951,937 3/l9l0 Bryan 83/794 3,225,799 12/1965 Hayden et al 83/794 3,263,537 8/1966 Rehman ct a] 83/4 Primary E.raminer-Donald R. Schran Attorney, Agent, or FirmFinnegan, Henderson, Farabow and Garrett [57] ABSTRACT The present invention relates to sawing apparatus comprising a supporting base from which extend four uprights whose axes are at the vertices of a rectangle, a platform mounted for movement longitudinally of itself across said supporting base and between opposed pairs of said uprights, the platform being preferably mounted on rollers engageable with parallel rails supported on the supporting base, a cradle mounted for vertical sliding movement along said uprights and supporting in an underslung position, preferably to be orientable in a horizontal plane, a chain saw for sawing timber carried by said platform, and a head frame above said cradle, said frame including tubular members dimensioned and positioned to fit slidably about said uprights and being preferably braced where fitted about said uprights, first locking means to lock said head frame relative to said uprights, said head frame mounting means for adjusting the level above said platform of said cradle and hence of said chain saw, and second locking means for locking said cradle at its adjusted level relative to said uprights. Both the platform and the rails may be in interconnected lengths to enable both to be reduced in length appropriate to transport purposes.

10 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 7 63 :1; aii 25 44 as I0 24 PATENTEDJUN I 7 I975 SHEET E/gi PATENTEDJUN 17 ms SHEET E QA.

1 SAWING APPARATUS This invention relates to sawing apparatus capable of being readily set up at a selected site and readily transported when required to a different site, that is sawing apparatus which is mobile and can be taken to the timber thus to overcome the disadvantage of the usual procedure of transporting the timber to a saw-mill.

According to the present invention, sawing apparatus comprises a supporting base from which extend four uprights whose axes are at the vertices of a rectangle, a platform mounted for movement longitudinally of itself across said supporting base and between opposed pairs of said uprights, a cradle mounted for vertical sliding movement along said uprights and supporting in an underslung position a chain saw for sawing timber carried by said platform, and a head frame above said cradle and including tubular members dimensioned and positioned to fit slidably about said uprights, first locking means to lock said head frame relative to said uprights, said head frame mounting means for adjusting the level above said platform of said cradle and hence of said chain saw, and second locking means for locking said cradle at its adjusted level relative to said uprights.

It will be manifest that the head frame rigidifies the four uprights.

The cradle preferably includes means to vary the orientation of said chain saw in a horizontal plane.

The head frame is preferably braced at opposed ends where fitted about said opposed pairs of uprights.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from the front end, above and to one side, of sawing apparatus according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view from the rear end and above of the sawing apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view from above and to one end of the sawing apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a plan view, on a larger scale, with parts broken away to expose others, of the detail ringed by the dot-dash line 1V in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view looking on the underside of the platform which is not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in order better to show the supporting base in FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view from above, on a larger scale, of a multi-purpose component.

Referring now to the drawings, sawing apparatus generally designated 10 includes a supporting base made up of two parallel tubes 11 and 12 of square crosssection on which are mounted to extend at right angles thereto three parallel rails l3, l4 and 15 along which are adapted to run aligned sets of freely-rotatable rollers 16, each roller being mounted between parallel webs 17 of L-members 18 and 19 secured through their other webs 20 to the underside of a platform 22, the webs 20 and 21 lying flat against the underside of the platform 22 and facing in opposite directions.

The rollers 16 with their mountings 17 to 21 are arranged in longitudinally-spaced transverse series each of these rollers and their mountings. The platform is of adequate length, for example about three times the width of the apparatus and is foldable transversely of its length at two transverse hinge points to shorten same for stowage and transport purposes, and the rails 13, 14 and 15 are of channel section with the webs horizontal and being made up of lengths interconnected by fishplates 38, whereby they can readily be broken down for stowage and transport purposes. Scraper blades 42 extend across the underside of the platform adjacent some of the series of rollers and their mountings to clear loose debris away from the rails during a sawing operation. The scraper blades could be replaced by nylon brushes, for example, positioned to be ahead of the rollers in travel along the rails.

Laterally spaced outwardly of the outside rails 13 and 15, there are mounted adjacent each end of each square-section tube 11 and 12 cylindrical uprights 23, 24, 25 and 26 whose axes are at the vertices of a rectangle, the uprights having at their lower ends rectangular horizontal plates 27, 28, 29 and 30 having adjacent the corners thereof holes through which they are bolted to opposed pairs of lateral feet members 31 and 32 secured to the ends of the square-section tubes 11 and 12.

A cradle 33 of rectangular shape externally is slidabl y engaged between rails 34 and 35 extending between the pairs of uprights 23 and 25, and 24 and 26, at each side of the apparatus, each said rail at its ends being fast with depending tubes 36 and 37 of square-section secured within which are cylindrical tubes which fit slidingly about the uprights 23, 24, 25 and 26, respectively.

A rectangular head frame 39 is mounted on the four uprights 23, 24, 25 and 26 at the upper ends thereof above the cradle 33. The head frame 39 is of size horizontally to fit with clearance between the pairs of end uprights 23, 24 and 25, 26 at the front and rear of the apparatus and has secured to its end members 45 and 46, which are of inverted channel section, on the outer faces of the latter in line with its side members 47 and 48, which are of inverted L-section, four square-section tubes 40 and 41 disposed with mutually-opposed faces parallel with one another and within which are fitted cylindrical tubes through the bores of which the uprights fit in a manner enabling the head frame to be adjusted vertically along the uprights. One flange 58 of each side member overlaps the base of the channel of each end member and the other flange 59 thereof is butted by one end of each end member 45 or 46. The flanges 58 are co-planar and the flanges 59 are parallel to one another. Bolts 44 engaged in bolt holes therefor in the tubes 40 and 41 enable the head frame 39 to be locked to the uprights 23 to 26 at any level to which the head frame is adjusted. The head frame 39 serves both to rigidify the uprights 23 to 26 and to carry means enabling the level of the rails 34 and 35 and thus of the cradle 33 to be adjusted. The cradle-leveLadjustment means comprises at each side of the apparatus, four small L-section members secured through their minor flanges to the outer faces of the flanges 59 of the side member 47 or 48 of the head frame 39 and with their major flanges projection outwardly at right angles from the flange 59 and disposed parallel with one another and with mutually-opposed faces of the square-section tubes 40 and 41. Two of the small L-section members are close to the ends of the flange 59 and the major flanges or cheeks thereof are denoted 50. The other two small L-section members are spaced equidistantly one to each side of a point midway of the length of the flange 59 and the major flanges or cheeks thereof are 3 denoted 51. The cheeks and 51 have centrallylocated aligned holes therethrough.

A transom 52 of inverted channel section extends between the side members 47 and 48 of the head frame 39 parallel to and equidistant from the end members 45 and 46 of said frame. The base 53 of the channel of the transom underlies the flanges 58 of the side members 47 and 48 and the ends of the transom butt against the inner faces of the flanges S9 of said side members, The flanges 54 of the transom 52 are aligned with the two inner cheeks 51. The transom 52 shrouds a rod 55 extending across the head frame 39 through openings provided in the mutually-parallel flanges 59 of the side members 47 and 48, said openings being round and providing bearing seatings for collars 57 fast on the rod 55.

Referring particularly to FIG. 4, the collar 57 at one side of the apparatus is integral with a crown wheel 60 the teeth of which are in mesh with pinions 61 and 62 fast on the adjacent ends of rods 63 and 64 extending between the pair of checks 50 and 51 at each side of the rod 55 and passing freely through the aligned holes in the pairs of checks. The pinions 61 and 62 are integral with collars 65 and 66, respectively, fast about the rods 63 and 64, respectively, and spacing the pinions from the cheeks. A toothed wheel 67 is integral with a collar 68 mounted fast about the end of the rod 55 and clear of the pinions 65 and 66, the collar 68 spacing the toothed wheel 67 from the pinion. The construction at the other end of the rod 55, that is at the other side of the apparatus, differs from that just described in that the crown wheel 60 is not integral with the collar 57 is transposed outwards along the rod 55 and reversed to engage the pinions 61 and 62 from the opposite direction, a collar integral therewith at the outer face thereof being fast with the rod 55 and butting against the collar 68 integral with the toothed wheel 67.

There are mounted on the ends of the rods 63 and 64 at the mutually-remote faces of the outer cheeks 50, bevel gear wheels 70 and hubs of which are integral with collars 71 between which and the cheeks 50 are loose washers (not seen in FIGS, 1 to 3).

Checks 75 and 76, similar to the cheeks 50 and 51, are mounted, respectively, at the lower ends of the square-section tubes 40 and 41 and the upper ends of the square-section tubes 36 and 37, the cheeks 75 and 76 extending at right angles from those faces of the square-section tubes 40 and 41, and 36 and 37, which are co-planar with the outer faces of the flanges 59 and being oriented at right angles to the cheeks 50 and 51. Between each pair of checks 75 and 76 associated with each one of the individual uprights 23 to 26 extends a rod 77 with a helical external thread and which projects through a central hole in each of the two cheeks. Fast with the underside of the lower one 76 of the pair of checks is a nut 78 co-axial with the hole in the cheek and through which the rod 77 extends, the internal thread of the nut complementing that of the rod 77 and a stop member 79 being fast with the lower end of the rod 77. Each rod 77 is engaged at its upper end in a tapped bore in a bevel gear wheel 80 at the upper face of the cheek 75, the bevel gear wheel 80 meshing with the bevel gear wheel 70 at the appropriate end of the appropriate rod 63 or 64. The bevel gear wheels 86 may be locked relative to the rods 77 by pins which cxtend through holes in collars 81 integral with the bevel gear wheels 80 and through the rods 77, and the squaresection tubes 40 and 41 may be locked to the uprights 23 to 26 by pins which extend through holes in the tubes and the uprights.

Endless chains 85 entrained about and freely suspended from the toothed wheels 67 at each side of the head frame 39. It will be manifest from the foregoing description that manipulation of either one of the two chains 85 will result in synchronous rotation of the two rods 63 and 64 at each side of the head frame 39 with consequent rotation of the meshing bevel gear wheels 70 and 80 at each corner of the head frame. If the aforesaid locking pins are in place and the bolts locking the cradle-supporting rails 34 and 35 are removed, this will result in adjustment of the horizontal level of the cradle-supporting rails 34 and 35 and hence of the eradle 33, but, if the locking pins are not in place, the horizontal level of the head frame 39 will be adjusted.

The cradle-supporting rails 34 and 35 are of channel section with the channels facing one another. The lower horizontal web of each channel is reinforced and thickened by a plate co-extensive therewith and secured flush to the underside thereof to provide guides along which the cradle 33 can be moved longitudinally of the sawing apparatus 10. On a level with said guides 90 the rails 34 and 35 are further strengthened and rigidified by plates 9] extending between the pairs of uprights 23 and 25, and 24 and 26, at each side of the apparatus, each of the plates 91 being integrated both with the two associated uprights and with the base of the rail 34 and 35. The rails 34 and 35 are braced by a transom 92 extending transversely therebetween substantially midway of their lengths, the transom 92 being relatively wide and being secured to the undcrsides of the upper horizontal webs 93 of the rails 34 and 35. The transom 92 is undercut adjacent both of its ends to provide both clearance and guidance for the cradle 33 when the latter is moved longitudinally.

The cradle 33 comprises a rectangular frame each side member 95 of which is made up of two parallel metal strips sandwiching therebetween a third and narrower metal strip with longitudinal edges of the three strips flush with one another whereby to provide longitudinal grooves at the opposite longitudinal sides of the side members 95. The thickness of the intermediate or sandwiched strips is such that the guides 90 of the sup porting rails 34 and 35 can enter the longitudinal grooves with sufficient play to enable sliding of the side members 95 along the guides 90. The end members 96 of the rectangular frame of the cradle 33 space the side members 95 apart in parallel relationship with the aforesaid longitudinal grooves facing outwardly, the spacing being, of course, consistent with the ability of the cradle to slide longitudinally along the guides 90. The end members 96 are of inverted channel section and are secured to the ends of the side members 95 at the undersides of the lower strips of the latter. The end members 96 are broader than the side members 95 and carry a chain-saw guide bar 100, and fuel tanks 101 for a motor or possibly two motors for driving the chain saw. In the embodiment illustrated only one motor (not shown) is used and this is hooked on to U-bolts engaged from below through apertures therefore in the horizontal web 102 of an L-section supporting plate secured to the outer face of the outer web of the end member 96 at the front of the apparatus, the position of the supporting plate 102 being offset from the centre of the end member 96.

The chain-saw guide bar 100 is secured at one of its ends to the lower end of a standard 103 secured to the outer face of the outer web of the end member 96 at the rear of the cradle frame. The position of the standard 103 can be adjusted both to change its position along the length of the end member 96 and the depth below the latter to which it extends. Moreover, the standard 103 could be transposed to the outer face of the outer web of the end member 96 at the front of the cradle frame. Pulleys are supported from the guide bar 100 for rotation about their axis, a chain saw being ontrained about the two pulleys. A prime mover, such as a 7 hp motor suitable for lightweight chain saws drives one of the pulleys. It will be manifest that the cradle can cater for chain saws of different lengths and enables variation in a horizontal plane of the angle of presentation of the chain saw to timber supported on the platform 22. The actual mounting and driving of the chain saw forms no part of the present invention and will not therefore be described in detail.

At the front end of the sawing apparatus is a deck member 105 of the shape of an isosceles triangle in plan and having extending rearwardly from each end of the base of the triangle tubes of square cross-section which fit telescopically within the tubes 11 and 12, each of the inner tubes having therein a horizontallyaligned series of holes through any one of which it can be positionally locked with the outer tube 11 or 12 by a pin extended from the exterior through a hole in the outer tube. A drawer 106 is secured to the upper side of the deck member 105 to project forwardly from the apex of the latter the drawer being positioned between upright webs of L-members 107 secured to the upper surface of the deck member 105 to extend from rear to front of the latter symmetrically one on each side of the central fore and-aft axis of the latter. A post 108 ex tends upwardly from the deck member 105 between in one direction the upright webs of the L-members 107 and between in the other direction the rear end of the drawbar 106 and check members (not seen) mounted against the mutually-opposing surfaces of the upright webs of the L-members 107. A freely-rotatable roller (not seen) extends between said check members for guidance of wire ropes to be referred to hereinafter.

The post 108 is also of telescopic construction so that it can be varied in height and comprises one squaresection tube within another. The inner tube has aligned series of holes in one pair of opposed wall, and the outer tube simply has one hole in each of two opposed walls positioned to be aligned with any one pair of aligned holes in the inner tube so that the two tubes can be locked together by a bolt passed through four aligned holes and secured by a nut.

A handle 110 near the upper end of the post 108 serves for winding wire ropes between two drums, the ropes extending through guide holes in the rails 13, 14 and 15 and being anchored to the underside of the platform or bench 22 so that turning of the handle 110 in one or the other direction pulls the platform or bench 22 along the rails 13, 14 and 15 in one or the other direction to present a log or other piece of timber supported thereon to the chain saw.

The supporting base includes cylindrical tubes 115 which extend transverely between the square-section tubes 11 and 12 at each end of the latter, the axes of the tubes being in the same planes as the axes of the pairs of uprights 23, 24 and 25, 26 at the ends of the square-section tubes 11 and 12. The latter have circular openings in both upright faces, said openings being co-axial with the tubes and of diameter equal to the inside diameter of the latter. Short lengths of cylindrical tube, which is effect provide extensions of the cylindrical tubes 115 are secured to the outside upright faces of the square'section tubes 11 and 12 and the feet members 31 and 32 are channel-shaped keepers secured to both upright faces of both tubes 11 and 12 with the bases of the channels parallel to and spaced from said upright faces. The bases of the channels have therein circular openings through which the cylindrical tubes 115 or the aforesaid short lengths of cylindrical tube extend, said short lengths terminating flush with the outside upright forces of the square-section tubes 11 and 12. The keeper dimensions are such that the webs of the channels are level with the top and bottom faces of the square-section tubes 11 and 12. The keepers serve both to stiffen the mountings ofthe cylindrical tubes and lengths of cylindrical tube and to space wheel-mountings outwardly from the tubes 11 and 12. The construction is identical at both ends of the apparatus so that the wheels could be provided at either end and the deck member 150 at the non-wheeled end.

An axle extends through the cylindrical tube 115 and the two lengths of cylindrical tubing extending same at the rear of the apparatus. At each end of the axle is secured, by screws extending through holes in its three faces and into tapped holes provided therefor in the axle, a channel-section leg-member at the free ere of which and at the outer face thereof is mounted a freely-rotatable wheel 12]. The two leg members 120 are parallel to one another and are identical and the two wheels are identical and co-axial. The axles can be turned relative to the cylindrical tube 115 and the two lengths of cylindrical tube extending same, so that wheels can be moved to the position shown in the drawing, where they are out of contact with the ground and the square-section tubes 11 and 12 and the deck member 105 are flat on the ground, which is, of course, the arrangement when the sawing apparatus is on site and ready for operation. When the sawing apparatus is to be moved, however, the axle is turned to a position where the leg members 102 are substantially vertical and the wheels 121 engage the ground. When the axle is in this position diametrically-aligned holes in the cylindrical tube 115, in the lengths thereof between the inner keepers and the inner upright faces of the squaresection tubes 11 and 12, are aligned with diametricallyextending through-holes in the axle, so that the axle can be locked in position by headed pins the shanks of which are pushed through the aligned holes. When the wheels 121 are in the ground-engaging position, the sawing apparatus 10 can be towed away from the site. A circular saw 125 is mounted adjacent the transom 52 of the head frame 39. As can be seen particularly in FIG. 3, U-shaped brackets 126 and 127 are secured on the upper faces of the end member 45 and transom 52, respectively, with the webs of the brackets extending longitudinally of the members on which the brackets are secured. The brackets 126 and 127 have in their webs aligned through which extends, for free rotation relative to the brackets, a spindle 128 on which the saw 125 is axially mounted to be rotationally fast therewith. The saw 125 is interchangeable to cater for different kinds of work, and is driven via a pulley (not shown) fast therewith on the end thereof projecting forwardly from the end member 45, and a chain or belt (not shown) entrained about said pully and adapted to be driven from a motor (not shown) on the deck member 105. Consistent with the interchanging of position of other parts of the apparatus, the bracket 126 could be removed from the end member 45 and mounted on the end member 46, with reversal of the spindle 128 and the position of the circular saw 125 adjacent the tran som 52, this being effected when the deck member 105 and wheel arrangement are shifted to ends of the apparatus opposite to those at which they are shown.

Turning now to FIG. 6, the multi-purpose component shown comprises a bench 130 of size and shape to fit snugly into a seating therefor in the head frame, the seating consisting of the upper surfaces of the end members 45, 46 and side members 47, 48 of the head frame, and corner brackets 131 at the four corners of the head frame, said brackets resting on or against and being secured to the square-section tubes 40, 41 the side members 47, 48 and small spacer plates on the end members 45, 46 in surface continuity with the side members 47, 48. The bench 130 has along side edges thereof strips 132 which rest on and space the bench upwardly from the side members 47, 48 a sufficient distance for the undersurface of the bench to the clear of the spindle 128, and a transverse slot 133 through which the circular saw 125 projects with all-round clearance. Mounted on the upper surface of the bench adjacent one end thereof and spaced from both sides thereof are plates 133 unitary with open-ended box members 134 in which are rigidly housed lengths 135 of cylindrical tubing of the same internal diameter as the cylindrical tubes 115, with the lengths 135 of cylindrical tubing co-axial and directed transversely of the bench. Thus, the bench 130 can be lifted out of its seating in the head frame and inverted, the deck membmer 105 removed from the supporting frame, the inverted bench 130 laid on the square-section tubes in which are appropriately positioned and dimensioned aligned openings through which are fitted into said tubes lengths of cylindrical tubing also of the same internal diameter as the cylindrical tubes 115 and which are then aligned with the lengths 135 of cylindrical tubing on the inverted bench 130, and the wheel, leg member and axle arrangement removed from the supporting base and fitted to the trailer made up of the deck member 105 and the inverted bench, aligned holes 136 being provided in the box members 134 and tube lenghts 135 to enable the axle to be secured with the wheels 121 spacing the appropriate end of the trailer 105, 130 clear of the ground.

The sawing apparatus described is capable of adjustment in many ways enabling same to be readily set up to suit any particular work on any particular site. It is, moreover, readily movable in the position of a trailer to and from any particular site, the rails and platform being reduced to lenghts appropriate to this purpose. MOreover there can be readily made up from the apparatus a trailer which can serve to transport the products of a sawing operation, for example.

The cradle 33 may be locked against sliding movement on the rails 34 and 35 by pins passed through aligned holes in the associated members. A turnbuckle restraint may in such event be associated with the or 8 one motor to prevent the saw pulling towards timber being cut. 1 claim:

1. Sawing apparatus comprising a supporting base from which extend four uprights whose axes are at the vertices of a rectangle, a platform mounted for movement longitudinally of itself across said supporting base and between opposed pairs of said uprights, a cradle mounted for vertical sliding movement along said uprights and supporting in an underslung position a chain saw for sawing timber carried by said platform, and a head frame above said cradle and including tubular members dimensioned and positioned to fit slidably about said uprights, first locking means to lock said head frame relative to said uprights, said head frame mounting means for adjusting the level above said platform of said cradle and hence of said chain saw, and second locking means for locking said cradle at its adjusted level relative to said uprights.

2. Sawing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the cradle includes means to vary the orientation of said chain saw in a horizontal plane.

3. Sawing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the head frame is braced at opposed ends where fitted about said opposed pairs of uprights.

4. Sawing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, in which the platform is mounted on rollers engageable with parallel rails supported on the supporting base.

5. Sawing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, in which both the platform and the rails are in interconnected lengths and can be reduced to lengths appropriate to transport purposes.

6. Sawing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, including a wheeled axis interchangeably mounted at one end of the supporting base, and a deck member interchangeably mounted at the other end of the supporting base and including at its outer end a tow-bar.

7. Sawing apparatus according to claim 6, in which the wheels are mounted for free rotation at the free ends of leg members releasably secured to the axle, and the axle is turnable to move the wheels between a position in which they are clear of the ground and a position in which they engage the ground, and means for locking the axle when the wheels are in the groundengaging position.

8. Sawing apparatus as claimed in claim 7, in which the supporting base includes two open-ended parallel side tubes of square section, and the deck member includes at its inner end two rearwardly-projecting parallel tubes telescopically fitting within the side tubes of the supporting base.

9. Sawing apparatus according to claim 8, including a circular saw carried by a spindle mounted on said head frame and drivable from a motor on said deck member, and a bench dimensioned to fit on to said head frame and slotted to enable free passage of said circular saw.

10. Sawing apparatus as claimed in claim 9, in which a handle near the upper end of a post on the deck member serves for winding between two drums ropes wheich extend through guide holes in the parallel rails and are anchored to the underside of the platform. 

1. Sawing apparatus comprising a supporting base from which extend four uprights whose axes are at the vertices of a rectangle, a platform mounted for movement longitudinally of itself across said supporting base and between opposed pairs of said uprights, a cradle mounted for vertical sliding movement along said uprights and supporting in an underslung position a chain saw for sawing timber carried by said platform, and a head frame above said cradle and including tubular members dimensioned and positioned to fit slidably about said uprights, first locking means to lock said head frame relative to said uprights, said head frame mounting means for adjusting the level above said platform of said cradle and hence of said chain saw, and second locking means for locking said cradle at its adjusted level relative to said uprights.
 2. Sawing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the cradle includes means to vary the orientation of said chain saw in a horizontal plane.
 3. Sawing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the head frame is braced at opposed ends where fitted about said opposed pairs of uprights.
 4. Sawing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, in which the platform is mounted on rollers engageable with parallel rails supported on the supporting base.
 5. Sawing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, in which both the platform and the rails are in interconnected lengths and can be reduced to lengths appropriate to transport purposes.
 6. Sawing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, including a wheeled axis interchangeably mounted at one end of the supporting base, and a deck member interchangeably mounted at the other end of the supporting base and including at its outer end a tow-bar.
 7. SaWing apparatus according to claim 6, in which the wheels are mounted for free rotation at the free ends of leg members releasably secured to the axle, and the axle is turnable to move the wheels between a position in which they are clear of the ground and a position in which they engage the ground, and means for locking the axle when the wheels are in the ground-engaging position.
 8. Sawing apparatus as claimed in claim 7, in which the supporting base includes two open-ended parallel side tubes of square section, and the deck member includes at its inner end two rearwardly-projecting parallel tubes telescopically fitting within the side tubes of the supporting base.
 9. Sawing apparatus according to claim 8, including a circular saw carried by a spindle mounted on said head frame and drivable from a motor on said deck member, and a bench dimensioned to fit on to said head frame and slotted to enable free passage of said circular saw.
 10. Sawing apparatus as claimed in claim 9, in which a handle near the upper end of a post on the deck member serves for winding between two drums ropes wheich extend through guide holes in the parallel rails and are anchored to the underside of the platform. 